The present invention relates to the establishment of conductive connections between two rows of contacts, employing an elastomeric connector. The invention particularly relates to the establishment of such connections between a row of output contacts on a circuit board and a row of input contacts on a liquid crystal display (LCD).
In many electronic applications, such as the establishment of connections between an LCD and a printed circuit board, there is a need for an effective connector element which can simultaneously establish individual connections between two sets of contacts. While it has already been proposed to employ elastomeric connectors, which provide a plurality of closely spaced conductive paths, simple structures which establish a durable low-resistance connection have not heretofore been available, particularly in the context of a structure which can be easily assembled.
It is known in the art to mount an LCD having a flat contact array and a circuit board having output contacts on a stamped metal support member with an elastomeric connector interposed between the LCD and the circuit board to establish connections between their contacts. However, it has been found that support members cannot be formed in this manner to have the dimensional accuracy required to establish a satisfactory and durable conductive connection between the contacts.